Tag Archives: future of libraries

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Future libraries report available for download

3a8bd6d2Fast Company recently brought our attention to a new report  done by Arup University, a well renowned research institution. As others have said, as we find ourselves in a time of great technological upheaval, libraries can survive, but they’re going to have to change, and fast! Can they change fast enough? are we headed in the right direction? and what kind of change is needed? Do words like collaborative, robotic, and participatory pique your interest?

The full report is free for download, is 44 pages in length, and contains many graphics and pictures. More than reading a sound bite, this report is worth a thoughtful read. If you want the Fast Company cliff notes version, click here.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Library ideas worth $3 million!

Have you ever heard of the Knight Foundation? Quite simply, they support transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. They believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged.

It is no surprise that in late 2014, Knight “challenged applicants for ideas that leverage libraries as a platform to build more knowledgeable communities, recognizing their potential as drivers of innovation, creativity, news and information, entrepreneurship, education and social resources.” Sound like a tall order? Not for libraries! Winners were announced at the ALA Midwinter Conference with 8 winners receiving $130,000 to $600,000, while 14 early-stage ideas will receive $35,000 each through the Knight Prototype Fund. This fund helps libraries take media and information projects from idea to demo.

The full press release is priceless in that it includes links to videos and profiles of every funded project. There are some seriously creative ideas to peruse, and it makes me wonder….are we imagining the full potential of our Minnesota libraries of the future?

 Image credit: https://unsplash.com/, licensed under CC0 1.0

 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Librarian Publishers and the Convergence of Data Repositories

Tome ReaderIn his 2-part look at libraries as publishers, Phill Jones from The Scholarly Kitchen, examines the history of libraries as publishers but also their possible future.

In part one, he examines the start of library publishing programs. Many, he points out, “were partly motivated by a desire to disrupt subscription publishing and a feeling that digital publishing ought to be cheaper and faster than traditional print.” Those libraries quickly learned that digital was just as costly.

Jones points out that the higher cost lead libraries to collaborative relationships with university presses, learned societies, and small print-only journals. For many this has been an highly successful relationship.

In part two, Jones talks about still having hope that libraries as publishers can disrupt the existing publishing industry. He points to the idea of data sharing and data repositories as ways that libraries can go beyond the traditional and couple it with something publishers aren’t offering.

The future of libraries as publishers certainly has yet to be written. What do you see? What do you want?

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/psv96vo, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

An Example of a Library of the Future

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psychicdevelopmentgroup

Will the library of the 21st century still have books? YES, there is no doubt in my mind. However, what else might it have?

Read about how the downtown Chattanooga Public Library cleared out 14,000 feet of storage space and created a space for sewing machines, laser cutters, 3D printers, and more. Interaction is the key ingredient, with a light touch on any sort of warehousing of books!

Read the following two posts to get more detail:

Exciting stuff….but, are librarians prepared to function and support end users in these kinds of spaces?

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

The Future of Libraries: American Libraries Live

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Were you too busy to watch the January 8th  American Libraries Live Webinar? Me too…..but it is not too late!

The moderator was David Lee King, the format was a Google Hangout. King is the digital branch and services manager at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, where he plans for, implements, and experiments with emerging technology trends. He speaks internationally about emerging trends, website usability and management, digital experience planning, and managing tech staff.

• Joseph Murphy, Director of Library Futures, Innovative Interfaces
• Marshall Breeding, Library Technology Consultant, Speaker and Author
• Bohyun Kim, Digital Access Librarian at Florida International University Medical Library

Many interesting ideas emerged including….

  • Libraries as change foundries and local change experts
  • Libraries as laboratories
  • Libraries as canaries in the coalmine, testing the changing environment
  • Libraries are settling in as a filler of gaps

Listen for yourself! The archived hangout is available at http://americanlibrarieslive.org/